Micah Moore, charged in Deaton prayer group murder, in court today

Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012

... Earlier this month, Micah Moore, 23, reportedly walked into the Independence police department and told officers he'd killed Bethany Ann Deaton at the request of her new husband, a charismatic prayer group leader.

Moore told police he killed Bethany Ann Deaton her at the order of group leader Tyler Deaton, allegedly because of fear she would tell her therapist about sexual assaults on her by members of the group.

Moore lived with the Deatons in a communal home shared by male members of their prayer group. He told police that several members had sexually assaulted Bethany Deaton and that they were worried she would tell someone. Moore claims that's when Tyler Deaton ordered him to kill Bethany Deaton, according to a criminal complaint ...

November 28, 2012 - Micah Moore entered a police department in Kansas City just three months after being a groomsman in a wedding of two of his friends. He had met the couple while in Texas in college. He told police that he killed the woman at her husbandís request. The husband is a charismatic leader of a prayer group.

Police indicated that the death of Bethany Deaton initially looked as if it were a suicide. Police officers found an empty bottle of pain medication and a note along with the womanís body in a van parked near a lake October 30.

No until Moore made his confession over two weeks later did police announce the woman had been killed. On Wednesday, Moore will have his preliminary hearing for first-degree murder ...

... But Moore's attorney told a judge on Wednesday he is innocent. He said there's no evidence he committed the crime.

"The facts suggest Bethany Deaton's death was an unfortunate suicide and Micah Moore had nothing to do with that suicide. Driven to the police stations by representatives of his church community, Micah told a fictional account that was bizarre, nonsensical and most importantly, untrue," said Attorney Morgan Pilate ...